Transfer of Iraq detainees under security pact concerns rights groups News
Transfer of Iraq detainees under security pact concerns rights groups

[JURIST] Iraqi human rights activists are concerned about the treatment of detainees due to be transferred from US military custody to Iraqi authorities under the proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) [CFR materials; McClatchy translation], according to an IRIN report [text] Monday. The pact, approved the Iraqi cabinet [JURIST report] on Sunday and awaiting approval from the country's parliament, calls for roughly 17,000 detainees to be turned over within 24 hours [IRIN report] of its acceptance. Iraqi Minister of Women's Affairs Nawal al-Samaraie, the only cabinet member who voted against the agreement [AP report], said detainees who are not charged with a specific crime should be released. The Iraqi parliament began SOFA hearings [UPI report] on Monday, with a final vote expected sometime after November 24.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi called for a national referendum [JURIST report] on the agreement. Last month, Human Rights Watch called for a provision [JURIST report] in the agreement to shield detainees from being transferred in order to prevent their torture. In August, officials for Iraq's Human Rights Ministry said they planned to prosecute [JURIST report] those suspected of torturing inmates of the country's prison system.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.